Tuesday, October 29, 2013

As
we get closer to the holiday shopping season, a slew of high-end smartphones
are being launched to grab headlines as well as the attention of the consumers.
Two phones that recently entered the market are the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and
the Sony Xperia Z1. With both phones being released at the same time, it is
only natural that a comparison shootout be done. So, let’s see what each of
these phones has to offer.

Design and
Display

In
terms of design and display, both these phones are polar opposites of each
other. Starting off with the construction of the two phones, the Galaxy Note 3
has been made using polycarbonate plastics where the rear of the phone offers a
faux leather feel, whereas on the Xperia Z1, Sony has opted to create their
phone using a combination of aluminium and glass, with the body being made from
aluminium and the front and back are encased in shatter proof and scratch resistant
glass. On top of this, the Xperia Z1 also comes an IP58 rating, which certifies
that the device is dust proof and water resistant. For offering a more premium
build to the consumer, the Xperia Z1 wins the design department.

The
displays of the two phones offer a similar viewing experience with minor
differences being the criteria of comparison. The Galaxy Note 3 comes equipped
with a 5.7-inch AMOLED display running at a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels,
making it a Full HD display. The Xperia Z1, on the other hand, comes with a
5-inch TFT LCD display also running at Full HD resolution of 1080x1920 pixels.
Now, although AMOLED displays offer a sharper image than LCDs, it is the Z1
that comes out with a higher ppi count of 441 ppi compared to 386 ppi on the
Galaxy Note 3. The higher ppi can be attributed to two features on the Xperia Z1.
Firstly, the Z1 comes with a smaller display than the Galaxy Note 3, which has
a compression effect on the visuals. Secondly, the Z1 also receives some tech
from the TV line of Sony, namely the X-Reality Engine present on certain Sony
Bravia televisions. In addition to this, Sony have also gone ahead and fitted
the 5-inch Z1 display with Triluminos display. What this tech entails is that
videos on the Xperia Z1 will run at nearly the same quality of larger Full HD
TVs. On sheer specs alone, the Xperia Z1 also takes the display round. However,
it all comes down to personal choice as both displays offer stellar viewing
experiences and the decision rests with the consumer as to which is the better
display.

Internals

The
internal hardware that both devices possess is identical to each other. Both
the Galaxy Note 3 and the Xperia Z1 are equipped with quad-core Snapdragon 800
processors and an Adreno 330 graphics unit in both phones providing assistance.
The Galaxy Note 3 has a slightly higher clock speed of 2.3GHz compared to the
2.2GHz present on the Xperia Z1. The slight difference in clock speed won’t
translate into any real world differences in performance and both phones are
more than capable of handling anything that is thrown at them. Both devices
take a similar approach to the battery provided in the phones. The Samsung
comes with a 3200mAh unit while the Sony comes packed with a 3000mAh unit. The
slightly larger battery puts the Galaxy Note 3 ahead in terms of lasting more
than a day but the Xperia Z1 is just as capable of lasting the same amount of
time.

While
the grunt of the two devices is identical, it’s a different story when it comes
to the memory on both the devices. The Xperia Z1 is available in one variant
that offers 16GB internal storage along with 2GB RAM to help things along. The
Galaxy Note 3, on the other hand, comes in three variants of 16, 32, and 64 GB
internal storage, all of which are accompanied by 3GB RAM. While both devices
come standard with expandable microSD slots that can hold up to 64GB, the
prospect of having nearly 120GB available makes the Galaxy Note 3 a more
attractive device to the power users. In addition to this, the extra gig of RAM
that the Note 3 gets will aid in providing a better multitasking experience.

Camera

This
segment again sees Sony pulling in tech from its other departments, this time
imaging, to offer a very attractive package to the on-the-move photographers.
Sony has gone ahead and given the Xperia Z1 a massive 20.7 MP image sensor,
which also receives Sony’s G lens branding. Samsung’s offering, on the other
hand, comes with a 13 MP image sensor, which puts it at par with most flagship
smartphones in the market now but well behind the image quality that can be
attained by the Xperia Z1. The Xperia Z1 and the Galaxy Note 3 are capable of
capturing video at 1080p resolution with the difference being that the Xperia Z1
captures at 30fps while Samsung gets it done at 60fps. Both phones also come
standard with 2 MP front cameras that can capture video at 1080p resolution at
30fps as well as an LED flash to light up subjects for the rear camera. So,
this segment belongs to both the devices as the Xperia Z1 provides better
pictures and the Galaxy Note 3 produces better videos.

Accessories

In
recent months, many manufacturers have been releasing and announcing various
companion devices to accompany their devices. Samsung and Sony are no
different. Both manufacturers have released smartwatches, the Galaxy Gear and
the Sony SmartWatch 2, respectively. In addition to this, Sony has also
recently released an attachable lens camera. While Sony has made this device
compatible with all smartphones, regardless of manufacturer, it is expected to
run the best with Sony’s flagship.

To End It

The
constant, rapid pace of technology ensures that the most powerful smartphone
today is usurped by a new one in mere months. However, both the Galaxy Note 3 and the Xperia Z1 have been built to last a long time and while a
better phone may come along in a matter of months, settling for one of these
two behemoths would not be a regretful decision. So, which should you buy? If
you like taking good quality pictures and watching HD movies on-the-go then the
Xperia Z1 is for you. If you want a better multitasker that is powerful as well
then the Galaxy Note 3 is the match for you.